December 1 is World AIDS Day.
Until now, HIV remains one of the main problems of global public health: to date, this virus has claimed 36.3 million human lives. There is no method to cure HIV infection. However, due to the increased access to effective means of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, this infection has moved into the category of treatable chronic diseases, and HIV-infected people can live a long and healthy life.
At the end of 2020, according to WHO estimates, there were 37.7 million people living with HIV infection in the world. In 2020, 680,000 people died from HIV-related causes and another 1.5 million people became infected. The events organized and held within the framework of the memorable date are designed to draw public attention to the problem of the spread of infection in our country and to focus the attention of the population on the need for HIV testing, knowledge of their HIV status.
In 2020, 60124 new cases of HIV infection were registered in Russia. At the same time, the infection has long gone beyond the vulnerable groups of the population and is actively spreading in the general population. The majority of patients identified for the first time in 2020 became infected during heterosexual contacts (67.8%), the proportion of HIV infected with drug use decreased to 28.7%.
During the entire monitoring period, 4247 people were identified with HIV infection in the Lipetsk region, of which 3197 people are permanent residents. As of 10/25/2021, 251 new cases of HIV infection were detected in the region. According to the results of 10 months of 2021, there is an increase in the incidence of 16.8%, compared to the same period in 2020. 74% of patients with HIV were sexually infected, with the use of intravenous drugs - 25.6%.
A total of 394 children were born from HIV-infected mothers, 9 of them are infected with HIV. During 10 months of 2021, 2,258 people were observed at the AIDS Center, 2,100 people received antiretroviral therapy, which is 93% of those under dispensary supervision.
This year, 295,002 people were examined for HIV infection in the region, which is 26% of the population (in accordance with the State Strategy for Countering the Spread of HIV infection in the Russian Federation until 2030, 30% of the population is planned to be examined by the end of 2021).
It should be noted that an obstacle in the fight against HIV infection is the low popularity of testing among citizens, and, as a result, high risks of detecting HIV infection at late stages and an unfavorable prognosis for life. That is why it is necessary to combine the efforts of executive authorities, medical, educational and public organizations in promoting a healthy lifestyle, forming a careful attitude to their health among the population.
At the same time, it is necessary to inform the population as fully as possible that HIV testing is free and voluntary, and, if desired, anonymous, with the possibility of examination in any medical organization.
